Redemption
by scarlet79
Summary: Title may change later, as well as rating. An AU/What-If story...Jubal Early's threat has been carried out, and Kaylee turns to someone unexpected for help. In true Firefly fashion, things quickly take a nose-dive, and she and her would-be savior are forced to run for their lives or be caught by the Alliance. Rated T for adult themes/language.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Just an idea I had while watching "Objects in Space". What if Jubal Early's threat on Kaylee was carried out? Who would she turn to for help? This was my idea of who, and why..._

* * *

Redemption

Chapter 1

Jayne Cobb was nowhere close to an emotional man. He could do angry; hell, he could even do that fake form of sympathy some people put on when they wanted something from someone else, but as a general rule he usually tried to steer clear of having to use emotions, simply because they were so physically draining. That fact was one of the myriad that made him frustrated to all get-out around River Tam. She was nothing but a bundle of emotions wrapped in a bundle of insanity interjected with occasional bouts of clarity.

So, when he rushed into the infirmary carrying a beaten and bloodied Kaylee in his arms, his tanned and bearded face drawn into a concerned frown and unfallen tears shining in his eyes, both Captain Malcolm Reynolds and Doctor Simon Tam stopped talking to stare at him, their mouths near close to hanging open.

"He...You gotta help her, Doc," Jayne pleaded as he gently set the redhead on the bed.

"Jayne?" Mal asked, as if he weren't sure that the man standing before him was the same gruff, gun-toting smuggler he'd known all these years.

"Will you patch 'er up?" Jayne's eyes were dark, intense.

Afraid and still confused, Simon nodded. "Of course."

Satisfied with his answer, Jayne turned on his heel and rushed out of the room, unaware that Mal had followed him out.

"What's this all about?" Mal called.

Jayne stopped about halfway down the corridor and spun around. "That...ruttin' _ta ma duh_...he got her."

"Who?"

"Early."

"Early?" Mal parroted. "The man we just shoved off to the black?" When Jayne nodded and took off again, Mal huffed and then shouted, "Where you rabbitin' off to now?"

"To find Wash."

The captain opened his mouth to ask why, exactly, he needed the ship's pilot, but the other man's back had already disappeared from the hallway. Rolling his eyes toward the ceiling, Mal returned to the infirmary to check on Kaylee. She was exactly where Jayne had left her, curled on her side on the bed, though there was now a blanket atop her slender body. Simon stood nearby, setting up a tray full of instruments and trying to be inconspicuous, though Mal was intensely aware of the concerned glances Simon was constantly shooting in Kaylee's direction.

Mal crouched down until he could see her eyes, trying hard to ignore the bruise that covered her left cheek. "Kaylee? Maybe you can fill in what's got Jayne all haired up?"

Kaylee's lips pursed, and she covered her eyes with her hand. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, almost a whisper. "Early. He...I was listenin' to Serenity and he surprised me. Threatened me if I didn't help him."

Mal's heart jumped into his throat, but he carefully schooled his face and asked, "Threatened you how?"

She shook her head, unwilling to put into words what she had experienced. Frustrated, Mal tried again.

"Kaylee, please," he said, his fingers pushing a lock of hair back before it fell over her still-closed eyes. "It's near critical for me to know."

"No!" She shouted, shoving his hand away. Only now did she open her eyes, and when she did, she glared at him. "Don't touch me!"

More confused than angry, Mal did as she asked and stood up. His gaze found Simon, who was torn between curiosity at Kaylee's outburst and anger at the captain for agitating his patient. In his hand was a scanning device of some kind – Mal's specialty was running a ship, not doctoring – and now he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"I'll take care of her, Mal."

The captain nodded. "Keep me in the loop. I'll be on the bridge."

Simon nodded back, and Mal strode toward the hallway once more. When he reached the door he turned back just in time to see Simon lean over the ship's mechanic, his eyes soft with compassion. Mal huffed quietly. The doctor was a bit too sensitive for his liking. Maybe on Earth-That-Was, his empathy would have been more welcome, but in this life – and on Serenity, especially – you didn't last long if you were soft. On the other hand, Simon had proven himself able in a fight if need be, so Mal supposed he wasn't all bad.

On the way to the bridge, Mal ran into Inara, who was dressed in a pretty sapphire blue outfit with a gold wrap draped over her shoulders. Her red lips parted in a smile that quickly faded when she saw the wrinkle of concern on her captain's face.

"What's wrong?" She immediately asked.

"I'm not sure."

"I just saw Jayne running toward the bridge. Nearly knocked me off my feet."

Mal frowned. "You all right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good."

He moved to walk away, but Inara moved to the same side, blocking him.

"He was muttering something about Kaylee. Is she all right?"

Huffing an impatient sigh, Mal tried to step around her, but was again prevented from doing so. "I don't rightly know. She won't say as to what happened, though she sure looks worse for wear."

"Well, perhaps I should try and speak with her."

Turning on his heel to take the long way around, he called over his shoulder, "I won't stop you."

Already halfway down the hall, he missed the strangled sound she made as an anguished sob tried to escape her throat._ If only he knew just what he was saying in those four words..._After taking a breath to steady herself, she turned toward the infirmary, her long skirts swishing behind her.

Jayne was already there when Mal stepped onto the bridge, the weapons-expert's eyebrows drawn into such a dark frown that they nearly touched as he bent over Wash, his hands planted on both sides of the pilot's chair.

"Jayne, I'd much appreciate if you didn't terrorize the rest of my crew."

The taller man looked up and then straightened. "Weren't no terrorizin' goin on, Mal. I was only tryin' to persuade Wash here into checkin' round for Early out there."

"Why?" Mal asked, though he was fairly sure of the answer already.

"So's I can kill him."

Mal took a breath and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Man's already dead as coffin nails, Jayne. Been floatin' in the black for hours now."

"Well then." Jayne crossed his arms, thinking before he said, "Been needin' a good target for sightin' in my guns..."

Wash looked up at him, horrified. "You intend on hanging a corpse in the cargo bay, shootin' holes in his rotting flesh?" His eyes found Mal's, pleading. "Tell me you're against that."

"I am," the captain agreed.

"Cap!" Jayne's voice boomed in the small space.

"I get you're upset, but desecratin' my cargo hold ain't gonna help that any."

"But he...Kaylee..."

Mal took a step forward. "Kaylee's just who I'm thinkin' of, Jayne. I don't know a lick of what happened down there, but how'd you think she'd take to seein' that..." he searched his mind for a fitting term, but could come up with nothing "...hangin' there every day, havin' to walk past him, seein' his face? All's he did is knock me cold, and I'm havin' trouble obligin' the thought."

"Not to mention the smell," Wash muttered.

"You didn't see her in the engine room, Mal. There 's blood all over, and she was screamin loud enough to bring Reavers halfway 'cross the 'verse..."

"I ain't doubtin' that," Mal assured him. "But his judgment ain't ours to hand out, now he's breathed his last."

Something dark snapped in Jayne's eyes then, and he took a step toward the captain, until they were standing less than arm's reach apart. "We ain't even sure he's dead! Could be some ship picked him up, and he's walkin' round on some gorram planet, spendin' credits on 'shine and laughin' at us!"

"Even if it's the case, we don't got time to worry ourselves with him right now."

Jayne muttered the longest string of Chinese curses Mal had ever heard, his fists clenched dangerously at his sides. "Great!" He shouted, making Wash jumped in his seat. His voice low, threatening, he said, "If he ain't dead and this happens again, it'll be at your door, Mal."

Mal glowered back at him. "Watch your tongue, Jayne, or it's liable to find its way to a jar on a shelf."

Jayne opened his mouth to make a retort, but then thought better of it and shut it with a snap. Shooting a deadly glare at Wash, he muttered, "I'll be in my bunk."

"Fine idea," Mal replied.

Jayne pounded out of the room and down to his bunk, slamming the door shut behind him, and Mal let out the breath he'd been holding. Looking down at Wash, he said, "All this got him on a hair trigger, I reckon."

"You think?" Wash sighed, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead and drying his hand off on his pants. "Another minute went by and I was sure he'd grab a suit and go for a walkabout."

Mal's smile was weak; he was too worried about his ship's mechanic to entertain humor at that point. "Man's just upset someone invaded our little castle, Wash. Can't say as I blame him."

"Me either, but sometimes Jayne's intensity is...well, intense."

Mal nodded, and together they stared out the front shield into the space beyond and pondered the situation. Almost five whole minutes of silence passed before Mal said, "Well, I'm gonna get back to the infirmary. Anything comes up, let me know."

Wash nodded in agreement, and Mal left the bridge, the pit in his stomach growing larger with each step.

* * *

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter 2

Redemption

Chapter 2

"She say anything, yet?" Mal asked Inara as he met her in the hallway outside the kitchen.

She shook her dark head sadly. "She kept her hand over her eyes the whole time and just cried. I tried everything."

"That's fine. Could be she just needs a little more time."

Inara's thick curls bounced as she shook her head again. "I'm not so sure, Mal. She's pulling away from us, hiding inside herself. If something doesn't change, I'm afraid she might do something rash."

The captain's eyebrows drew together in concern. "Are you sayin'..."

"I've seen this kind of thing a few times before, in Companions who have been abused by the men who hire them."

"Abused?"

Inara drew in a breath, then leaned closer and whispered, "Raped."

He couldn't completely stifle the gasp he uttered at that.

"It doesn't happen as often as it once did, but there are still men who become...frustrated...with the pace a Companion sets for their time together. There are also those who inform the woman that they wish their tryst to be less than gentle, but then lose control and ignore their Companion's pleas to stop or slow down."

Mal frowned. "And here I thought your profession all flowery and romantic."

"That is not the point," Inara replied, her eyes flashing a warning at him.

He felt the need to issue one last barb before he fell silent. "It never is."

She stared at him and inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Based on the wounds she has and her wish not to speak about what occurred, I think it's entirely possible that Early carried out his threat to Simon."

He had suspected as much himself, but actually hearing the words jarred him so sharply that his heart skipped a beat and then pounded painfully hard in his chest, pushing him to take an extra breath. Kaylee was so young and vibrant, with her cheerful giggle and bright red mop of hair, that he had come to think of her as his little sister. It made him physically ill to imagine something so horrible happening to her.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and started off down the hall away from her. Inara caught up with him and grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To see Kaylee."

"I thought you'd tried that already."

He nodded. "Ain't gonna hurt to try again."

"Mal..." she pulled him to a stop just before the doorway to the next section of the ship. "Don't push her; it'll only shut her down some more."

"I'm the captain here," he reminded her. "Somethin' happens to a part of my crew, I make it a priority to get the full report."

"At what cost? Are you honestly prepared to damage Kaylee further in your quest for information?"

"I don't see another way around this, Inara."

"Ask Jayne. He was the one who found her, if what Simon told me was true."

Mal nodded. "He was."

"Then see what he knows, before you go in there half-cocked."

Affecting a wounded gaze, he asked, "Was that an insult on my manhood?"

She rolled her eyes, but let his question go unanswered, leaving him to take her comment however he wanted.

"Any case," he continued, "I 'spose I might have a talk with Jayne."

"In other words, you're taking my advice."

He shrugged. "Looks that way."

"It's about time," she muttered.

Mal spun around to face her. One delicately arched eyebrow quirked at him, and her dark eyes smoldered with something between amusement and irritation.

"And just what do you mean to say by that?" He asked her, his own gray eyes hard.

"Oh, nothing," she replied lightly. She moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her short.

"If you have some issue with the way I run this boat then speak it."

Hearing a noise, she looked over Mal's shoulder toward the galley. Jayne stood just outside the doorway, a curious look on his grizzled face. As she shifted her gaze back to Mal, she pulled her arm away and said, "I take no issue with your command. What I take issue with is your persistence in playing favorites."

"I don't."

"You do," she countered, moving a step closer to him. "You treat Kaylee like a sister, but meanwhile I am nothing but a whore to you. A whore who hitches a ride on your boat – as you eloquently put it – and who gains you access to places and things you never could have without my help."

Mal huffed, shifting from one foot to the other. "Because that was the arrangement _you_ put forth to me, Inara. And I don't think of you as just a whore."

Her gaze hardened further. Forgetting the mercenary still standing down the hall, she came so close to Mal that she could feel his breath on her face.

"Prove it," she whispered up at him.

"Inara..."

"If I am worth more to you than a common Companion, then prove it."

"You know I respect you," he said, his eyes darting around to look anywhere beside the low-cut front of her dress. "You've proven your worth to this crew time and again..."

"Oh, words!" Inara stomped her foot, her brows knitted in a frown. "It's always words with you, Mal! For once, stop talking!"

"Talkin's only thing I'm good at, Inara. You know that. That and outwittin' the Alliance."

"And that's the reason I should leave," she replied, her eyes now full of sadness. "Your luck with the Alliance is bound to run out soon."

"Hey, it's my gift keeps us outta heaps of trouble."

"And gets us into heaps more."

"I never told you to leave."

"You've never really asked me to stay."

He gazed down at her, confused. "You're a grown woman, 'Nara. I ain't in the business of bossin' womenfolk around. You said wanted to leave, I told you to go. Now you're tellin' me it's not what you want?"

She nodded. "I only said it to see if you'd fight for me. But you didn't."

"I didn't want to force you to stay. Didn't reckon you'd be happy that way."

"Serenity is my home, Mal. Why wouldn't I be happy here?"

"Are you?"

"Yes," she replied evenly, though her chest was heaving with anger.

"What if I asked you to stop whor – I mean, companioning? Would you?"

"If your reasons are logical and unselfish, yes."

He crossed his arms. "They could never be unselfish."

"Why not?" She asked, hoping for a certain answer even as she knew he would never utter it.

"Because I have standards for the members of my crew, and that's one of 'em."

"So now I'm not one of your crew?"

Frustrated, Mal slammed his fist against the bulkhead, ignoring the shock wave of pain that rippled up his arm, and she jumped at the sound.

"I don't know what you are, 'sides a woman who confounds the gorram hell outta me every step! You – just the sight of you 'fuddles me, Inara. I can't think straight when it comes to you."

Shocked beyond words, Inara shook her head. "Mal..."

"You want me to prove how I feel? Fine. I'll prove it."

He grasped her arms and pulled her closer to him, crushing his lips against hers. She tried to pull away but he shoved her backward into the wall, pinning her in place. His breath was hard and hot as he kissed her, as was his tongue when it thrust inside her mouth. She fought against his sudden assault only a moment longer, until his rough palms slid down her arms to circle her bare waist, his fingers splayed out on her hips, digging into her skin. She closed her eyes in surrender, her limbs going slack, but still he attacked her lips, claiming them for his own.

Feeling suddenly bold, she opened her eyes and found herself mirrored in two pools of mercury, his black pupils growing wider with each moment. Mal's hands traveled first lower and then higher than her waist, brushing the sensitive sides of her ribs. She turned her head to try and catch a breath but he moved with her, capturing her lips and stealing her breath away once more, his lower half pressing her harder against the bulkhead. Inara's hand lifted to grasp the back of Mal's neck, her slender fingers running through his brown hair. A sound halfway between a moan and a growl rumbled in his chest at her touch, and it sent chills running through her own body.

When he finally released her mouth to trail hot kisses against the baby-soft skin of her throat, she sucked in one lungful of air after another, each one catching in her chest at the sensations racing through her limbs.

"Mal," she gasped.

"Yes?" He asked between kisses.

"You..." he hit a particularly sensitive spot and she gasped again. "Have you always felt like this?"

"Yes," he said again before dipping his head to nuzzle behind her ear.

"Mal..."

Now, he stopped to stare straight into her eyes. He kissed her mouth again, his lips hard against hers, then pulled away and said, "You talk too much."

Neither of them saw nor remembered the broad-shouldered man watching them, a grin lifting a corner of his mouth. As silently as he'd appeared, Jayne slipped back into the galley, where River Tam sat eating a bowl of Zoe's homemade soup. She glanced up and saw the expression on his face, and a frown twisted her own lips.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Nothin'," he replied, trying to school his features into his usual scowl but failing miserably.

"Cap'n Mal still mad?"

Jayne shook his head. "Nope. Don't reckon he ever was, really."

"Why not? He seemed pretty mad."

"Sometimes when a man's mad, what he really is, is sad."

"He was sad?" She asked. "About what?"

"Inara leavin'."

"But she's not leaving."

Jayne nodded. "Exactly."

She was silent so long that he figured the questions were done for now.

He was not so lucky.

"Are Inara and Mal gonna make love now?"

Jayne inhaled sharply and choked on a spoonful of soup. Coughing and spluttering, he pounded himself on the chest until he could breathe again.

"Where in the blue hell 'd you learn that kinda talk, girl?"

River shrugged. "Simon. He said I should know all about sex, since I'm nearly an adult now."

"Maybe yer body's all growed up, but in that 'lil head of yers...well..."

River frowned and flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder. "I am nearly eighteen, Jayne Cobb, and I have been growing into a woman since I was thirteen. I know enough about love to know it when I see it."

Growing ever more uncomfortable with the conversation, Jayne pretended to study the contents of his soup bowl intently, his face and ears turning a bright red. "Yeah, well. Even if they are, ain't none yer business, nor mine."

They ate in silence again, each more focused on their food than on talking. When Jayne finished, he set his bowl down on the table and sighed. His gaze shifted toward the door, imagining that the couple were still standing in the hall beyond it. River's hand covered his then, her small fingers laid along his larger ones.

"Don't worry," her voice softly said. "You'll find your Inara someday."

Jayne looked at her, surprised at this sudden burst of lucidity. "I...I wasn't..."

"Everyone needs love," she continued matter-of-factly. "Even tough guys with too many guns and smart comments to do them any good."

Grinning, she leaned forward and explained, "That's you, Jayne."

He tried to look hurt by that. "Thanks, girl."

She shrugged and pulled her hand back. Glancing at the wall that separated the galley from the half of the ship containing the infirmary, her eyes suddenly blanked and she said, "She's afraid."

"Who is?"

"Kaylee. She's in the dark."

Not bothering to excuse himself, Jayne got up and rushed from the room. He stalked quickly through the halls, his heart pounding in his throat with each step. When he finally stepped into the infirmary, he was surprised to see that the lights were all on.

He shook his head. He should have known better than to take what River said literally. Riddles and metaphors were her specialty, not sanity.

Simon was sitting in a swivel chair, a dejected frown on his young face. For some reason, that sight sent Jayne's pulse racing even faster than River's half-lucid comment had.

"Kaylee?" He called out, his eyes searching the room. Before he could open his mouth to call again, a mess of limbs and red hair rocketed into his arms and he lifted her in his grasp, holding her like a child rather than a woman in her early twenties.

"It's okay," he said to her trembling form, her head buried against his neck. Then, so softly only she could hear, he whispered, "Don't cry, mei-mei."

"I'm so scared," she told him, her voice raw and raspy as if she'd been screaming for hours, which, he knew, she had been. He didn't like that thought one bit, so he pushed it away to the back of his mind.

He held her tighter, his biceps crushing her thin body against his chest. "I know."

"She won't let anyone else get near her," Simon said then, his voice full of disappointment. "She's been curled up on the same gurney for hours, shaking uncontrollably. She won't talk, won't eat..."

"Maybe if you didn't chase her around with needles and freaky lookin' metal tools she wouldn't be scared of ya."

"I'm a doctor," Simon reminded him. "Those tools are necessary for me to find out how much damage Early did..."

"I can tell that just by usin' my gorram eyes!" Jayne roared. "Don't need no fancy degree to know what rape looks like."

"And all your shouting is helping a great deal, I'm sure."

"Shoutin's only thing'll get this through your thick pan!"

Mal and Inara suddenly appeared in the room then, and behind them was a sleepy-looking Wash. Zoe and River followed soon after that, and Shepherd Book's quiet yet still imposing form filled the infirmary to capacity.

"What's all the racket?" Mal asked, looking pointedly at Jayne, who still held Kaylee in his arms.

"This idjit – " he jerked his head toward Simon "– don't understand why Kaylee won't talk to 'im."

"I'm only trying to help her," Simon retorted.

"Your pokin' and proddin' ain't helpin' any more than shootin' cork bullets brings down a bear!"

"Okay, enough!" Mal shouted, and both of the other men shut their mouths. Taking a step toward Jayne, he caught Kaylee's eye. "We're all at a loss of what to do here, Kaylee. We just wanna help but we can't 'less you tell us how."

A tear ran down her face then, but rather than wipe it away she laid her head against Jayne's shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Maybe she'd feel better talkin' to me, sir," Zoe offered. "Or Inara."

"Book could give a try, too," Wash volunteered.

The Shepherd shrugged his shoulders. "If she wants to talk, I'll listen. But..."

Mal opened his mouth to reply, but it was River who spoke.

"She's in the dark."

All eyes except Kaylee's turned to her.

"What does that mean, Little One?" Mal asked.

Now self-conscious, she cast her gaze down to the floor beneath her feet.

"River?" Zoe prodded.

The girl sighed. "Jubal Early took her into the dark and left her there. She feels Jayne there, too. Thinks he's the only one strong enough can pull her out again."

"So that's why she won't go near anyone else?" Wash asked her. "Jayne is the only person she trusts?"

River shook her head. "No. Jayne is the one person she can't trust."

"Hey!" the subject of their talk protested. "That ain't true."

"Jayne and the dark were lovers, once," River said cryptically. "But not now, not after he felt its claws. He can fight it."

"Are we sure about this?" Wash asked, looking around. "What if he only ends up making it worse?"

"Wash got a point," Zoe put in. "None of us has ever dealt with this before, but Jayne don't really seem anything close to the best choice."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Zoe," Book replied. "There's a good bit we don't quite know about our gun-happy friend..."

"Why's everyone talkin' like we ain't in the same room?" Jayne interjected. Kaylee's grip on his neck tightened, and he pressed his cheek against her hair in return.

"If she has some kind of internal bleeding I don't know about, it could already be too late to fix it," Simon added.

"Not to mention he doesn't exactly have a light touch," Inara advised. "Although that doesn't seem to matter to Kaylee, especially right now."

"That's rich, coming from you," Jayne growled at her.

"If she gets out of control and he tries to calm her, he could end up doing worse damage..."

"He won't, Simon, and you know it," River said. She stepped forward and laid her hand on Mal's arm, fixing her amber eyes on his. "He loves her."

"Really?" Wash asked, his voice higher by nearly an octave. Zoe had the grace to elbow him into shutting up.

"Not in the way you think, Hoban Washburne," River amended, a dissatisfied frown twisting her features. Then, a smile formed in its place as she faced Mal again. "He is Simon, and Kaylee is River."

"His sister?" Mal asked, and she nodded.

"His blood is boiling, but his heart is frozen. Like a volcano under the ocean." Coming to stand between the crew and Jayne, she put her hands on her thin hips. "Jayne is broken, but his hands are good."

Mal nodded at her as if he understood every word, though that could not have been further from the truth. "Okay." His eyes found Jayne's and issued a silent warning as he said, "Help her."

Jayne nodded back. "I will, Mal. I swear."

"Everyone else, back to bed. It's late." Catching Wash in the middle of a yawn, the captain said, "Wash, put this girl on auto and get some sleep."

"You got it, Cap," the pilot replied as he stepped into the hall. His wife followed after him, her hand slipping into his as the other squeezed his rear end. He gave an unmanly yelp, but then waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Calm down, Warrior Princess. Not in front of the troops."

"I think you secretly love it," she sweetly replied.

Wash chuckled. "Ain't no secret, woman. That's for sure."

Simon tried hard to stay behind, but River gave him her best angry face and pulled him out of the room. Just before they walked away, River stuck her head back in the room and said, "The current is strong. Stones can't swim."

Jayne furrowed his brow, but gave her a nod anyway.

"Stones can't swim," he muttered as he tried to find a place to sit down with Kaylee still in his arms. "That girl's head ain't screwed on right."

* * *

_TBC..._


	3. Chapter 3

Redemption 

Chapter 3

* * *

He was sleeping in his bunk, toasty warm, when he heard screaming. He nearly clocked his head on the bulkhead as he shot upright, his heart racing out of his chest and his limbs tingling as if they, too, had been asleep. He had climbed his ladder and sped down the hall before his mind had even comprehended that he was fully awake, only a matter of moments passing from his awakening to him rushing into the engine room. He didn't remember grabbing his knife from beneath his pillow, but when he looked down at his hand, it was there.

Jayne stopped just inside the door, his foot slipping in something on the grated floor. It was blood, he realized with a sick feeling in his gut, and from its wetness he knew that it was freshly spilled. Panic tried to force its way up into his brain, but he stuffed it back down as he swallowed and called out, "Kaylee?"

She was still screaming. Balled up in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, her eyes screwed shut so tight it would take a crowbar to open them, she just kept screaming and sobbing. Incomprehensible words babbled between the screams, broken sentences about Reavers and wishes and dyin'. He was both glad and disturbed to see that she was alone. Glad, because he was still too gorram tired to fight someone at that moment, but disturbed by the way she was carrying on.

He was on his knees in front of her in an instant, his large hands grabbing for her shoulders, but she fought him, her screams only growing in volume. There was blood on the legs of her pants, he noticed, and they looked like they'd been torn, as did her shirt. Her face was a mess – bruises intermixed with cuts that could have only come from a knife, and her nose had been bleeding – and Jayne suddenly found himself extremely homicidal.

"Kaylee, open yer eyes, girl!" He shouted at her.

Something – maybe the gruffness of his voice, maybe the way he said her name – made her open her eyes and look at him. When she saw that it was Jayne crouched there, her lower lip trembled and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. They made tracks in the blood on her face, two trails from her eyes down to her chin, like the picture of that cryin' Indian from Earth-That-Was.

"Who did this, Kaylee?" He asked, his eyes darting around again, as if expecting someone to swoop out of the shadows at that very moment.

"Early..." she choked out, her own eyes wild with fear and pain. "He...It was Early."

And then, before he could utter another word, she opened her mouth and screamed again, the sound deafeningly loud.

Jayne woke with a start and sat up as the echo of a scream rang through the corridors of Serenity. Just as in his dream, he sped up his ladder and made it out into the hallway, but this time Mal was there, pulling on a shirt as he rushed down to the engine room. Jayne, being larger and taller, made it there first. He held his knife ready – he really wanted to know how in the blue hell he kept doing that – and peeked his head through the doorway, pretending to ignore the look he was getting from Mal.

"I just...grabbed it," he lamely explained, shrugging.

Mal simply nodded, as if his reasoning was perfectly acceptable.

Kaylee was in her hammock, apparently fast asleep though the netting supporting her was swinging back and forth like she had been thrashing around.

Jayne exchanged puzzled glances with Mal, then cautiously stepped forward to make sure the girl was all right. He had just leaned directly over her, staring at her face, when a feminine voice said, "The pigs were chasing her. They're gone now."

Both men jumped in surprise, Mal clutching the door frame for support as his heart came back down from his throat, and Jayne gritting his teeth so hard his jaw hurt.

"Jesus," he said, standing up straight.

"No. River," the voice said, giggling. Simon's younger sister emerged from behind the main engine body, a smile on her face. "How could I be a person lived nearly three thousand years ago? Silly Jayne."

He opened his mouth to comment, but Mal beat him to it.

"What're you doin' hangin' about here? You should be sleepin'."

River turned sad eyes toward Kaylee's sleeping form. "Her dreams woke me. She is Snow White. Her apple was bad."

"River..." Mal sighed wearily.

"Can't wake up," she went on, becoming more agitated by the moment. "Not even her prince can do it. Night brings pigs with sharp fangs."

"Bad dreams?" Jayne asked, and she nodded.

"They bite her all over, turn her blue."

Mal was still confused, but Jayne was nodding emphatically. At his captain's look of disbelief, Jayne shrugged and explained, "The dreams make 'er blue – sad. She cries." He glanced at River. "Right?"

The girl beamed at him like a teacher does her star pupil.

"Jayne understands!"

"Hey, let's not get wacky. Jayne just wants t' go back to bed, is all."

Not even his harsh tone could diminish her mood. Dancing around him, she sang, "Vera without bullets is just a heap o' metal. No use. No purpose."

"River, don't...it's too late fer so many riddles," Mal said then. "Don't go scrambling what's left of Jayne's brain, alright?"

She stopped twirling around the men and stared at Mal in the eye, suddenly dead serious. "Yes, Cap'n."

"Good girl. Now, you scurry on off to your bunk. Get some rest."

She nodded sedately and quietly slipped off, and after checking on Kaylee one last time, the men followed. When they were outside the crew quarters, Mal turned to Jayne and asked, "You mind helpin' me puzzle out what just went on in there?"

Jayne frowned. "Cap?"

"How'd you work out what she meant? Pigs...turnin' blue..."

"That was the easy part. Still got no ruttin' clue what she meant by 'her apple was bad'."

Mal was giving him the bewildered look again, and Jayne's frown deepened. He was beginning to hate that look; it made him feel like a freak, like...well, like River must feel when they stared at her.

"What?" He asked Mal, a challenge in his eyes.

"Nothin'," Mal replied, a small smile gracing his features. "Just never realized how insightful you can be, is all."

Jayne narrowed his eyes at the captain, but as his mind processed what was said they widened again. Had Mal just complimented him?

"Thanks, Cap," he said.

"Don't mention it."

"I won't if you won't."

Mal grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

They parted ways then, each going back to their rooms. Jayne collapsed onto his bunk and closed his eyes, and was asleep in under a full minute.

* * *

"C'mon, Mal," Jayne's voice carried down the corridor. "It ain't like you won't know where we are."

"Absolutely not," Mal's voice replied. "We can't afford to split up now. You think the Alliance won't be watchin'? Or Reavers, for that fact?"

"She needs time away from everyone. Bein' here on Serenity is givin' her nightmares." Inside the control room, Jayne crossed his arms, managing to look at once defiant and yet retaining just a hint of respectfulness. "'Sides, t'was you gave me the go-on to make her right again. Going to Three Hill's the best way."

"I'm powerful aware of what I said, Jayne," Mal snapped. "I just don't see the good sense in leavin' both my ship's mechanic and my public relations officer alone on some planet rather than _on_ the ship!"

Frustrated with getting nowhere, Jayne tried another tactic.

Bribery.

"Won't be alone. Got an old friend owes me a favor, I asked him to bring a few friends to keep a lookout for us. Any sign of trouble and he'll let us know."

"And what else?" Mal asked, knowing Jayne too well to believe there wasn't more.

"This same friend knows where there's an Alliance cache – real, hard currency – hidden on the planet next Three Hills."

"Athens?" Mal had to admit, he was mildly interested.

"The same," Jayne replied. "And it ain't even guarded, Mal. Those purple-bellied sons of bitches forgot all about it. Fifty thousand, free and clear."

"What's your friend's cut? Forty, I suspect."

Jayne shrugged. "Twenty percent. Like I said, he's owed me a time now."

Mal thought it over for a while, his lower lip drawn between his teeth. Jayne might not be the best-spoken of the crew, but he knew how to be persuasive, not to mention persistent. They did need the money, for supplies and especially food. He was getting mighty tired of eating the same tasteless protein mush for every meal.

Nodding, Mal replied, "All right. We'll drop you and Kaylee off on Three Hills, and the rest of the crew'll head over to Athens and try to find this cache. Should swing back 'round for you before the week's out."

Jayne let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded back. "Thanks, Mal. You won't regret it."

"I better not," the captain replied sourly. "One part of this plan goes wrong and it'll rest squarely on your head."

A matter of hours later, Serenity was landed on Three Hills, her engines powering down. The rear hatch lowered until it touched the ground, the impact sending up a small dust cloud, and Jayne was already stepping down the ramp with Kaylee's hand clasped tightly in his when Mal called his name.

Both he and Kaylee stopped and turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

Catching the double meaning in Mal's command, Jayne nodded.

"And you wave us the minute anything feels wrong," Inara ordered him.

"I will," he promised.

"Remember what I said," River called from the very top of the ramp. "The current..."

"...Is strong," Jayne finished for her. "Yeah, I remember."

River smiled, then disappeared from sight.

Jayne waved goodbye to the rest of the crew, minus Wash who was piloting the ship, and then guided Kaylee off the ramp and onto the planet's dusty surface. Serenity's engines roared back to life and the hatch lifted up, and then the two of them watched as she deftly lifted into the air and flew away, shading their eyes against the sun's glare as the ship reached atmo and then finally disappeared.

"Well, looks like it's just us," he said to Kaylee, who just blinked at him. "Let's get outta this blasted sun and find Hank."

* * *

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: This is, so far, my favorite chapter. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!_

* * *

Redemption 

Chapter 4

* * *

The nearest town was only a thirty minute walk, but in the scorching heat it felt like hours. By the time they reached the town's outskirt they were covered in sweat and dirt, and Kaylee's curls looked like she had stuck her head in Serenity's turbines. Jayne reached out to smooth it down but she ducked away, her eyes wide.

"Sorry," he said. "I forgot."

They continued on into town, their backpacks slung over Jayne's shoulder. As one, they spotted a man walking toward them, his hat pulled down over his eyes to shade them from the sun. Jayne felt Kaylee's hand trembling inside his, and he gave it a comforting squeeze.

"That's Hank," he told her with a grin. "He's okay."

She didn't seem convinced, though she made no move to try and run away. Hank reached them a moment later, and gave them both a big smile.

"Jayne Cobb!" he cried, embracing the larger man in a manly bear-hug which Jayne enthusiastically returned. "Haven't laid eyes on you in a dog's age!"

"Hey, Hank," Jayne greeted him in return. "Lookin' good these days."

"Thanks." The shorter man's eyes noticed Kaylee, and he smiled even wider. "And who's this lovely creature?"

"Kaylee's my...sister," Jayne introduced her. "Half-sister, actually."

Hank eyed him, as if unsure he were telling the truth. Then, he shrugged and said, "Well, any sister of Jayne's a friend of mine."

He reached out to take her hand but she pulled back, afraid. Jayne had the presence of mind to grab her arm before she could run off.

"Uh, she don't like nobody touchin' her hands. It's somethin' 'bout germs." Leaning forward, he added conspiratorially, "Been that way since she's knee-high."

Hank nodded sympathetically. "Course. My mistake, Miss Kaylee."

"So," Jayne said, glancing around at the buildings in the town, "Where can we go to get outta this gorram heat? I'm liable to stroke out here."

Hank laughed and pointed across the wide road at a building with a gold-lettered sign above the door.

"The Golden Goose is the best waterin' hole in these sorry parts," he told them. "Clearest 'shine this side of Persephone."

"They got rooms?"

Hank nodded. "A few, pretty cheap. There's girls, too, if you're up for that."

Jayne shook his head, drawing a look of surprise from Kaylee. "Thanks, but I'm all full up of girls for now."

"Jayne Cobb turnin' down girls?" Hank asked, equally as surprised. "Now I've seen everything!"

They all walked to the tavern, Kaylee gripping Jayne's hand in both of hers, a soft whimper escaping her every now and then. He squeezed back each time, letting her know that he would be close by to keep her safe. As they stepped through the door, her reaction to the noise and smell became intense; her eyes got that wild look in them and she began to fight to pull her hand free. Jayne wrapped one of his big arms around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. Leaning his head down, he spoke in her ear, his voice so low only she could hear.

"I'm here. Ain't Nothin' gonna hurt ya 'less it goes through me first."

She turned her face up to look at him. Seeing that he spoke the truth, she nodded and let him lead her up to the bar.

"She okay?" Hank asked.

"Just fine," Jayne lied. "She's just tired from the trip."

The bartender pouring drinks handed a glass of amber liquid to a customer and then looked at the trio standing before him. His eyes were shrewd and deep-set, reminding Jayne of a wild hog. Of course, the jowls hanging down his face didn't do much to discourage that image, either.

"What can I do fer ya?" He asked with a deep Irish brogue.

"Need a room. With two beds, if you got 'em," Jayne replied, plunking a handful of coins down on the bar. The bartender glanced at the coins, silently counting them, then jerked his head toward the stairs to the left.

"Room three-oh-three. On the left at the top o' the stairs."

"Thanks."

Having been here before, Hank led the way up the stairs. The noise from below was lessened here, little more than murmurs, though the smell of alcohol and tobacco smoke seemed to grow exponentially stronger . Kaylee pressed her nose against Jayne's shirt, inhaling the comforting scent of Serenity's metal instead. She closed her eyes, drifting along as the memory of her sanctuary's constant hum filled her head. She imagined that she was home in the engine room, tweaking this gear or loosening that bolt. Then, Early's dark face swam before her, and her whole body jerked in response. Jayne stopped short, puzzled by the sudden tug on his arm. When he looked down and saw the very real fear in Kaylee's eyes, he pulled her closer to himself as if to shield her from everything, both outside and in.

Hank entered the room first, making sure it was clean and unoccupied. Satisfied, he waved for Jayne and Kaylee to join him. When Jayne had shut the door, Hank folded his arms over his chest and asked, "So, what's this all about, exactly?"

Jayne frowned. "Huh?"

"That girl – "he dipped his head toward Kaylee "– ain't no more your sister than I am. You runnin' off with her or somethin'? Escapin' her disapproving parents?"

"Not even close," Jayne replied, his frown deepening.

"Then why all the secrets, the story of her bein' yer blood?"

"None of yer business."

Hank's eyes were shrewd as he regarded the goateed man in front of him. "It is if I'm to put my men in harm's way for y'all. I like to know what I'm walkin' into."

Jayne sighed. The man had a point, he had to admit. Finally, he said, "To avoid questions like yer askin', only from strangers. Folks might have Alliance contacts."

Hank seemed skeptical, but after a moment he shrugged. "Guess I can see that. Anyhow, I'll let ya get settled in now. Got some things of my own to attend to."

Still ruffled by Hank's implications, Jayne nodded and pulled the door open for him. "Appreciate you and yer men lookin' out fer us."

Hank nodded. "Least I could do." With a courteous tilt of his head to Kaylee, he left the room. Jayne closed the door after him and stood there a moment, his hands on his hips. Kaylee's eyes watched him nervously, every once in a while flicking toward the door as if puzzling out how to escape.

"You wanna get cleaned up?" He asked her then, and she suddenly remembered how grimy she felt. She gave him a heartfelt nod of her head and he smiled softly.

"C'mon, then," he said, holding out his hand. She slipped hers into it and let him lead her toward the washroom, then stood still while he found a bar of soap and a cloth. He wet the cloth under the water and lathered it up with the soap, then reached toward Kaylee's face. She shrieked and pulled back, her hands grappling for the door knob, and Jayne quickly dropped the cloth into the sink.

"Kaylee, stop!" he called, but she refused to listen. Jayne moved to stand in front of her, his large hands engulfing her slender shoulders. "Kaylee, I ain't gonna hurt ya. I just wanna help clean ya up, is all." He ducked his head to peer into her eyes. "Okay?"

She studied him intently for a while. Moistening her dry lips with the tip of her tongue, she finally whispered, "Okay."

Jayne carefully placed her in the middle of the room and picked up the cloth again. This time, however, he started with her arms, gently washing first the left and then the right before slowly wiping the dirt from her face. Kaylee stood there as he tended to her, watching his face. His dark blue eyes followed his hands as they moved over her forehead, cheeks and chin, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he clenched his teeth together. She could see the raw anger boiling just below the surface, but along with it was a sadness that she could not understand. She wondered if it was due to what had happened with Early, or if it went further back then that.

It was while she was studying his face that she saw for the first time a small scar just above his upper lip, mostly hidden by his mustache. It ran perpendicular to his mouth starting from the corner of his lip, and was only about half the length of her fingernail; had it not been for the paleness of the scar itself against his tanned skin she would have missed it altogether.

She slowly lifted her hand and traced her finger along the scar. Surprised, Jayne let his hand fall away from her face, the wet cloth clutched, forgotten, in his fist.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Nothin' much," he tried, though the way he averted his eyes from her face told her how far from the truth that was.

"Please, Jayne?"

He let his eyes drift closed. Heaving a sigh, he said, "I was fifteen. My father weren't near close what any man could call 'Pa'. Always drinkin' down at the bar, and takin' on with the doxies. Had a streak as mean as a scrap yard dog and then some."

She nodded, silently urging him to continue.

"Ma put up with it, said he's just doin' as all men do and as long's he came home to her she didn't pay no mind. But I got angry somethin' fierce that he treated Ma that way.

"One day, he came in drunk, reelin' about like a 3-legged jackass and smellin' like cheap perfume. He and Ma started fightin' and she finally had enough and tried to shove him off. He got real mad and threw her to the floor, screamin' that it's his house and he'd be dead afore he let some woman tell him his place. Said it was time she learned who's in charge 'round there, that he could and would do as he saw fit, with anyone he pleased. He held her arms over her head, started tryin' to rip her dress off."

At this, Jayne felt Kaylee jolt as if she'd been struck, so he opened his eyes and stared at her.

"I jumped on 'im, hittin' him hard as I could, but it weren't enough to hurt none. He knocked me off and kept goin' and so I tried again, but he pulled a blade and held it to Ma's neck, said he'd slit her if I didn't leave him to his business. I looked at Ma and I could see the worst fear in her eyes. It shoulda made me afraid, but all's I got was mad. I screamed and threw myself into him and he fell backwards onto his ass. The knife landed near my foot and we both went for it. I got a hold of it and was gonna use it on him, but his hand shot up and shoved mine back. The tip of the blade cut my face 'fore I dropped it, but by then he was too tired and drunk to care, and he passed out cold. Ma and I packed up, found a ride off Baylix, and that was it. Never saw 'im again."

His eyes were sad as he softly added, "O' course, now I'm just like him, only worse. Drinkin' and smugglin' and hurtin' people."

Kaylee's hands flew to his face, her palms laid flat against his cheeks. Shaking her head vehemently, she said, "No, you're not. You might do a little drinkin' now and then, and you like girls, but you never hurt no one didn't deserve it. And you'd never do like your Pa, forcin' your way on a woman."

Jayne snorted. "You make me sound like a right saint."

"Hardly," she said, a ghost of a smile whispering at the corner of her mouth. "All's I'm sayin' is that if it weren't for you I might not've...I mean..." Having trouble finding the will to speak the words, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his. "I love Cap'n Mal, and Wash n' Simon, but you're the only one I knew could keep me safe."

"I've done bad things, Kaylee," he murmured. "Terrible things 'd turn your guts to know about."

"Not to me. 'Sides, it's those things makes you dangerous to bad folk. You know how they think, so you can protect good people from them, easy."

Jayne dropped the cloth into the sink and walked into the main room, and Kaylee followed. He went to the window and rested his arm along the top sill, staring unseeingly out onto the dusty street below.

"Don't know as that makes much difference," he muttered.

Kaylee sat on the edge of the bed closest to the door, facing his back.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Cause so far I ain't done no good to no one."

She frowned. "That ain't true. You helped rescue River from the Alliance. The people of Canton were so glad, they sang you into their history. And you've done lots of good on Serenity these past years."

"I nearly sold that girl and her brother to the highest bidder," he countered, still facing the window. "If it hadn't been Mal knocked sense into me..."

"So you made a mistake. No one holds that 'gainst you now."

"Sure they do. Inara with her smart comments...Mal always second guessin' my intentions...Maybe you just can't see it on account of bein' so young, but trust ain't a thing I share with anyone up there."

"But what about me?" Kaylee asked, her voice small. "I trust you."

"Maybe. But that didn't do you good a few days ago, now did it?"

"Jayne..."

"No!" He cried, and she jumped at the sound, her eyes filling with tears. "Early got on board our ship – our home – and hurt you, and I was too late to do a gorram thing 'bout it."

"It weren't your fault," she said, her voice cracking as a sob caught in her throat. "Weren't no one's fault but mine."

Now, he turned around to look at her, his eyes wide. "Kaylee."

She wrapped her arms around her torso, as if protecting herself. "If I'd been payin' attention, not got so lost in Serenity..."

Seeing her pain, Jayne stepped away from the window and sat in front of her. He paused awkwardly for a moment before pulling her into his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest. She untangled her arms and wrapped them instead around his neck, her face buried against his broad shoulder.

"Don't you dare put what that ruttin' bastard did on yourself, Kaylee," he said softly. "I won't stand fer it."

Hot tears sank through his shirt, and he gently stroked her red hair, silent as she cried on him. His heart ached badly for the young woman who clung to him as if holding on for dear life, but he had next to no idea what to do for her. His taking her to this place had been a hunch, little more than a guess on his part. Though he'd tried to convince everyone otherwise, truthfully he was lost.

Jayne blinked away tears that threatened to fall from his eyes, heaving in a breath and trying to hide the shuddering sound it made as he exhaled. He tried hard not to let his emotions rule him, sure, but at that moment it felt as if his very living, beating heart was being ripped from within his chest, all while he sat there and let it happen. When he had joined Serenity, he had silently made himself guardian of all onboard, the watchful protector. Though he had not enjoyed River and Simon's appearance – and yes, he had tried to sell them to the traitorous Alliance – he had come to accept them under his watch as well. Only a few days ago, he had been fast asleep when an intruder – the bounty hunter known as Jubal Early – had come aboard Serenity and tried to collect the Tams. And in the process of doing so, he had done horrible things to Kaylee. He had damaged her. And where had Jayne been when she needed him? Sleeping in his bunk. He had abandoned his duty, and now she was hurt.

"I'm sorry," he told her then, unable to keep the waver out of his voice. "I fouled up good, this time."

Her arms tightened around him at that, and a fresh bout of crying shook her slender form. "Don't say that," she begged between sobs.

"I was s'posed to protect you, and I weren't nowhere you needed me t' be."

Her mind flashed back to what Early had said before he'd brandished his gun at her. "Whole crew was locked up, Jayne. Weren't no one could help me."

Jayne pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet flowery scent. "Still...burns me that he got away with hurtin' you."

When she had calmed down some, Kaylee looked up at him and said, "Book says he'll get his, on the after-side."

"Yeah, well, sometimes the after-side's too far away."

She nodded, but said nothing. He gently brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping away her tears, and then grasped a corner of the bedspread and pulled it back. Without even needing to be told, Kaylee shuffled herself under the covers and lay down, her head sinking into the feather pillow. She let a sigh escape her lips as she slid her legs against the satin sheets, the softness against her skin so wonderful that before she knew it, her eyes were closing. Jayne watched her settle down, a slight smile twitching his mustache. When he saw she was comfortable he moved to stand up, but she grabbed his hand, holding him there. With her eyes closed, she said, "Please, stay 'til I fall asleep.?"

Jayne nodded. "All right."

With each moment that passed, her features slackened some more, the lines in her forehead smoothing as her breathing deepened and slowed. As another wave of tenderness swept over him, Jayne slipped his hand into hers and Kaylee smiled at his touch, her fingers closing over his palm. She opened her eyes for a moment, staring into his dark blue irises.

"Thank you, Jayne."

"No trouble." He tried to look stern as he said, "Now, go to sleep."

Her eyelids fluttered, then settled onto her cheeks. "Goodnight."

As she faded into the first deep slumber she'd had in a week, he quietly replied, "Night."

* * *

_TBC..._


End file.
